


Last First Kiss

by Cobrilee



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: 5+1 Things, Alternate Universe - Post-Canon, Established Relationship, Fluff, Gay Disaster Shiro (Voltron), M/M, Marriage Proposal, S8? I don't know her, Sparring
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-14
Updated: 2019-02-14
Packaged: 2019-10-28 00:54:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,506
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17777465
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cobrilee/pseuds/Cobrilee
Summary: Shiro has a plan to propose to Keith.Then he has another one.And another.And another.He's starting to believe the universe is against him. Again. Then, the universe makes it up to him. Finally.





	Last First Kiss

**Author's Note:**

  * For [m_writes](https://archiveofourown.org/users/m_writes/gifts).



> My Sheithlentines 2019 fic! I can't believe something this soft and fluffy and mushy came from my brain. Do not get used to it, this is not likely to be repeated in the future. LOL
> 
> Thanks as always to Dana and M for listening to me bitch through the writing process and giving me support and encouragement when I thought I couldn't do it.

The first time it happens, Shiro doesn't want to make a big deal of it. It's not like the ring’s burning a hole in his pocket, even though he checks it multiple times to make sure it hasn't fallen out. He wants it to be casual, relaxed, because Keith probably won't appreciate all the fuss and fanfare. 

They’re sitting in Allura and Lance's front yard, watching Prisma push Jontel in the baby swing. She’s a good big sister and takes extreme care with her little brother, so Keith only has half an eye on them as he rips at the thick blades of bluegrass he has wrapped around his index finger. 

“I love you,” Shiro blurts, and despite having been together for several years by that point, his heart still gallops like a thoroughbred when Keith glances over his shoulder, an amused smile curving his lips. 

“I love you too, Takashi,” he says, warmth and fondness curling through his voice like rich smoke. “Always have, always will.”

_ It's now or never _ , Shiro thinks, adrenaline revving as he reaches into his pocket. “I know, baby. I can't imagine ever being able to love you more than I do right now, but I'm damn sure going to try.”

Keith shifts a bit, his glance turning curious. Taking a deep, steadying breath, Shiro pulls his hand out of his pocket, the ring clutched in his grasp. “Keith.” He stops, nerves coiling in his throat, refusing to let the words pass, and Keith puts a comforting hand on his thigh. 

“Will-”

Kosmo poofs into his lap, collapsing against his chest and knocking Shiro backward. As he spits wolf fur out of his mouth, he hears the tell-tale signs of Jontel whimpering. He still isn't used to Kosmo’s disappearing/reappearing act, and he always gets fussy when the wolf pops in from nowhere. 

Sure enough, within seconds, the whimpers become wails and Keith vaults to his feet, running toward the swing set. Prisma awkwardly tries to pull him out of the swing, but she's still too little to hold her brother's weight. 

Shiro watches in both dismay and adoration as Keith sweeps in, plucking Jontel out of Prisma’s slipping hold and cuddling the baby close to his chest. Prisma tucks her face against his thigh, her arms wrapped around his knees, and Shiro feels love spear him through in a shocking, breathless wave. Keith's hand drops to her flowing white hair, stroking it comfortingly while he bounces Jontel lightly against his chest and shushes him in a soft, crooning voice. 

“Is he okay?” she asks, peering up at her brother, and Keith nods. 

“Kosmo just scared him a little bit,” he explains, and Shiro casts a scolding look down at the wolf in question, who hunches his shoulders and manages to look both contrite and mournful. “The teleporting confuses him, but he'll be fine.”

True to his word, Jontel quiets down almost immediately, burrowing against Keith's chest and hiccuping as his wails taper off into soft sobs, then into little gurgling noises. Keith looks over at Shiro. “Think it's time to take them back inside?”

Sighing ruefully, Shiro rises to his feet and tucks the ring back in his pocket. “Sure. I think Lance told me there's some ice cream in the freezer,” he says, and Prisma’s eyes gleam. 

Shiro drops a hand to Keith's shoulder as he passes, marveling at the sight of him carrying a nearly-asleep baby while a toddler clings to his leg. He imagines that if anyone had told Keith ten years ago, or even five, that he'd be so good with his godkids, he would have scoffed. 

But he's great with them, and Shiro can't wait until they're fathers themselves. It's just one of many things he wants to experience with Keith. 

He just has to find a way to get through a proposal first. 

\-----

His second attempt is a little cheesier, a little more cliche, but he still feels like it will work for them. It's still low-key, not a lot of fuss, and nothing that will embarrass Keith, which is critical. 

“I'm so full,” Keith groans, sitting back and patting his belly emphatically. 

“You're spending too much time with Lance,” Shiro teases, gesturing at the way Keith's sprawled over his chair. “You're taking on his dramatic nature.”

Keith makes a face at him. “That was uncalled for. If anything, I picked it up from Prisma.” The faux-grumpy face shifts into more of a grimace. “But speaking of dramatic, I don't feel so well. I knew that unagi tasted a little off. I shouldn't have finished it.”

“Some sake will probably make you feel better,” Shiro remarks, lifting his chin in a nod of acknowledgement at the waiter. His stomach flutters when the waiter drops the ring in the sake cup already waiting at the prep station, and he sweeps over. 

Before the waiter can even get to their table, Keith shakes his head. “I really don't think it's a good idea for me to put anything else in my stomach right now. I don't want to get sick.”

“Are you sure?” Shiro asks, disappointment crushing him. “It might settle your stomach.”

The waiter appears at the side of their table, his eyebrows raised in question when he sees the look on Shiro's face. Keith waves him off. 

“None for me, thank you,” he insists, and Shiro pastes a smile on his face, reaching for the cup with the ring in it. The waiter hands it over with a sympathetic glance and disappears immediately. “I'm going to the bathroom. Maybe that will help.”

He drops a kiss to the top of Shiro's head as he passes behind. Sighing, Shiro fishes the ring out of the cup, dries it on the fabric napkin, and slides it back into his pocket. 

Strike two. 

\-----

“What are you up to?”

Shiro glances over as Keith wanders into the kitchen, pressing a brief kiss to his lips when he gets close enough to swipe one of the deviled eggs Shiro’s filling. “I thought today would be a nice day for a picnic.” 

“I thought it was supposed to rain,” Keith remarks, pushing aside the gauzy sheers over the window over the sink and peering outside. 

“I checked the forecast. It’s not supposed to rain until around bedtime. The sky is blue and gorgeous, and neither one of us has any particular plans for the rest of the day.” He knows, since he cleared their schedules this morning. “I figured it would be better to get out of the house and get some fresh air, spend some relaxing down time together, than to stare at each other until we both go crazy with boredom.”

“Sounds like a good plan to me.” Keith pecks his cheek as he heads for the fridge. “But you need to add some more relish to the deviled eggs. They’re a little dry.”

“Screw you, my eggs are perfect,” Shiro shoots back, but he grabs the jar of relish anyway.

Keith grins. “Your eggs aren’t, but you are.” 

Shiro reaches for him with the prosthetic, grabbing him around the waist and pulling him easily into Shiro’s side. Keith wraps his arms around Shiro’s neck and kisses him deeply, then swats his butt as he disentangles himself. “I’ll go find something we can use for a basket, and get a couple blankets while you finish up the food. Need help with any of it?”

Shiro thinks of the ring box, tucked into a container with their dessert--angel food cake with a cinnamon swirl and a tub of whipped cinnamon cream to dip it in, fondue-style. “No, I have everything else ready.”

“This is why I love you.” Shiro makes a face at him and Keith smirks. “One of many reasons, anyway.”

Shiro shoos him away. “Go, see if you can make yourself useful.”

“You didn’t say that last night,” Keith murmurs, eyes sparkling, just before he disappears somewhere into the depths of the house.

Shiro loves this man. Hopefully in a few hours, Keith will know just how much.

The picnic goes well; the weather is glorious and perfect, the bugs stay away, and the food is excellent, if Shiro does say so himself. It didn’t take much effort, but cold fried chicken, deviled eggs, potato salad, and buttered biscuits with honey are always satisfying. 

“I’m stuffed,” Keith proclaims, laying back on the blanket and tucking one arm under the back of his head. “You spoil me, Shiro.”

Shiro lays back with him and Keith rolls, cuddling instinctively into his side. “I want to spoil you for the rest of my life, sweetheart,” he confesses, and Keith tucks his face into Shiro’s chest. It’s not quite what Shiro had planned, but it’s a good lead-in, so he decides to go with it. “There’s a lot I want to do with you, as a matter of fact.”

“Kinky,” Keith teases, and Shiro didn’t mean it that way, but he’s not opposed to following that line of thought. Later. 

Except before he can redirect, he hears a rumble of thunder. He frowns up at the sky, which has grown darker without his notice. “Damn it, the rain is coming sooner than I expected.”

“We should probably get out of here before we get dumped on,” Keith suggests, rolling to a seated position and reaching for the food containers. Shiro sighs as he helps, snagging the one with the cake and cinnamon cream before Keith can get an eyeful of black velvet. They make quick work of stuffing the containers back into the large Easter basket they had left over from doing the egg hunt at their house this year. Shiro had ached a little as he watched Prisma, as well as Hunk’s cousins and Lance’s youngest siblings, running around their yard, shrieking and giggling and having the time of their lives. 

He wants that with Keith. And he doesn’t want to wait anymore.

“Baby.” He squares his shoulders, tipping his chin a touch defiantly. “Screw the rain. I want to say something.”

“Shiro, can’t it wait until we get back in the car? It’s going to start any-.” He flinches as the skies open up and start flooding them. “Second.”

The rain is chilly, which he tries to ignore. “It’s romantic.” Okay, yes, he’s being stubborn, but come on already. This is his third attempt gone wrong. He’s grasping at straws here.

“It’s freezing.” Keith’s eyes narrow through the downpour, water dripping steadily off his eyelashes onto his cheeks, as the sky flashes. “And that was a  _ lot _ of lightning. Come on, Shiro, let’s go home. We can dry off in front of the fireplace and you can warm me up any way you’d like.”

He sighs again. “You’re right. Let’s go home.”

At least they have that.   


\-----

He’s almost tempted, at this point, to do something grand and declarative. To ask Pidge and Allura to run interference so everything goes perfectly. Keith might not appreciate the fuss and fanfare, but Shiro’s sure he’d rather that than not be proposed to at all.

He has one trick up his non-existent sleeve before he gets that desperate, though. It would probably seem strange to most people, but for them, Shiro thinks it just might actually be perfect.

“Come on, old man, keep your head in the game,” Keith taunts, circling him and easily evading the punch Shiro throws at his face. The years have been kind to him; he’s still lithe, still moves like a striking snake, slithering out of any opponent’s grasp. He hasn’t slowed down in the least, and beats Shiro just as often as he loses. 

He isn’t ashamed to admit how proud he is of Keith every time he hands Shiro his ass.

“My head’s completely in the game,” Shiro grunts, feinting to the left and aiming an uppercut at Keith’s jaw. Keith eels around him and sweeps a leg, trying to catch Shiro’s ankles. Shiro’s prepared for it, though, because as much as Keith likes to pretend he’s unpredictable, Shiro knows his moves better than he knows his own.

“Maybe you’re just getting slow in your old age, then,” Keith concedes, shrugging as if he’s unconcerned. The impish glint in his eyes and the twitch of his lips contradicts it immediately.

Shiro’s heart pounds from something other than exertion--now is his moment. He’s determined that he’s going to get through it this time. No interruptions, no getting off track. He’s going to walk away from this gym with a fiance, damn it.

He doesn’t allow Keith a moment to get the upper hand as he shoots forward, gripping Keith’s shoulders and tossing him to the mat. Keith’s expression flickers through multiple emotions, from shock to dismay to fierce determination. Shiro cuts it off when he throws himself on top of Keith, laying him out with his whole body. Keith’s chest heaves, but Shiro keeps him pinned.

After a few moments, he shifts until he’s straddling Keith’s hips. He can feel Keith tense underneath him, but he reaches down with a smile, limning Keith’s bottom lip with one metal fingertip. “I win.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Keith grumbles. “It was your turn. I won the last three times.”

“Nobody likes a gloater,” Shiro tsks.

Keith rolls his eyes, but his shoulders relax, dropping back down to the mat. Shiro takes that as his cue. He glances down at his waist long enough to slip his fingers inside his waistband and into the pocket on the inside, where he’s stashed the ring.

What he doesn’t predict is Keith’s competitive streak, but really, he should know better by now. Keith’s whole body tightens and then uncoils like a spring, launching Shiro halfway across the gym. He groans in frustration when his shoulder lands, hard, against the floor, but then in panic when he realizes that somewhere along his flight path, he lost his grip on the ring.

He hears the metallic “ting” of it hitting the heating vent on the other side of the stack of mats, and his heart seizes at the thought of it getting lost.

Keith, unaware of Shiro’s impending heart failure, stands up and dusts himself off with a self-satisfied smirk. “You’re getting old, Shiro.”

“Yeah, and my bones are more brittle now,” Shiro rasps, trying to cover for his thundering heart. “I’m going to lay here for a few and recover. Why don’t you hit the showers?”

Keith crosses over to him, reaching out a hand to help hoist Shiro into a sitting position. “Are you sure, babe? I don’t mind waiting.”

Shiro waves him off. “Go. I need to catch my breath and figure out how I’m going to punish you for this.”

Keith’s eyes gleam wickedly. “Can’t wait.”

It’s at least three minutes before Shiro gathers the courage to pull himself to his feet and walk over to the heating vent. The plus side is he can see the ring; the downside is he’s going to have to pry the vent open to get to it.

He pinches his fingers twice before he realizes he should maybe use the other hand.   


\-----

“Why are you in such a foul mood tonight?”

Shiro glances up at Keith, who has his arms folded over his chest while he studies him. “I’m not in a foul mood.”

“You’re pouting. I want to know why.”

Rolling his eyes, Shiro pushes back from his plate, lifting himself up to his full height. It’s one of the few things he still has--will always have--over Keith. “I’m not pouting. I just have a lot on my mind.” Like how he’s managed to screw up four proposals. Seriously, he has the worst luck. If he’d told Pidge what he was planning, she’d now be laughing her ass off at him. And she probably would have roped Matt into mocking him, too. Not that it would take much effort.

He thumbs at the box in his pocket, wondering if maybe he should give up on trying to be romantic and sweet and just drop the box in the middle of the coffee shop table, between Keith’s soul-curdling espresso and Shiro’s vanilla latte.

“Anything I can help with?”

Shiro melts a little. Keith has always taken care of him, and even though he doesn’t know what the problem is this time, he still wants to fix it. “No, baby. I just need to figure out how to do something I should’ve done a long time ago, but I keep messing it up.”

“You can’t mess anything up,” Keith says staunchly, and Shiro laughs in undisguised affection. “I mean it, Shiro. I’ve never seen you make a mistake.”

“That’s because you’ve always been blinded by love,” Shiro teases him, eyes roving Keith’s face adoringly. “I’ve made countless mistakes, Keith. But I’m glad you don’t see them. You might leave me otherwise.”

The words are light-hearted and Shiro doesn’t mean them at all, but Keith’s eyes flame. “I could never leave you, Shiro. You’re the love of my life.”

“And you’re mine,” Shiro murmurs, and to hell with it, now is as good a time as any. It’s not romantic and perfect and it isn’t what he wants, but he wants to be engaged to Keith. He wants to be  _ married _ to Keith. They don’t need the perfect proposal. They just need  _ a _ proposal

“Let's get married,” Keith says suddenly, and Shiro's mouth doesn't drop open in shock, but it's a near thing. “We've talked about it before. Let's just do it. We'll go and elope and tell everyone after, and give Allura a whole year to plan our wedding for our first anniversary.” 

The words spill out of his mouth with unexpected enthusiasm, and if Shiro wasn't so busy cursing his luck, he'd be overwhelmed with fondness right now. 

He stares at Keith instead, a multitude of emotions swirling around in his gut, fighting for top billing. Resignation and amusement win out and he reaches into his pocket, producing the ring box and handing it over. 

Keith's eyes widen and the corners of his lips twitch. “Shit. Shiro, I'm sorry.”

“Don't be.” He leans over and presses a warm, sweet kiss to Keith's lips, which slowly curl into a soft smile. “Your impetuousness is one of the things I fell in love with first.”

Keith opens the box and Shiro lets him admire it before he slides off his stool and comes around to Keith’s side of the table. Shiro plucks the ring out of the box and slides it on, breath catching at the sight of it wrapped around Keith's finger. It's a narrow band of deep graphite, smooth to the touch and circled in a thin ring of pearlescent ruby. Shiro has a complementary ring at home, though his band is wider and ringed in onyx. 

“I love you, Keith,” he says softly, bringing Keith's knuckles to his lips and kissing them with reverence. “I've known since we were stranded on that planet together that you're it for me. I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”

“So I take it that's a yes?” Keith teases, reaching up and kissing Shiro with equal reverence. 

“It's a yes,” Shiro confirms, sliding his human fingers through Keith's and wrapping the prosthetic hand around his waist, pulling him in. “Let's elope. I don't want to spend another day without you as my husband.”

\-----

“Are you ready?”

“I’ve been ready for this for a lifetime.”

Keith beams up at Shiro, holding tightly to his hands while they wait for the officiant and her assistant to prepare the chapel for their ceremony. “You don’t regret that it’s so fast, and that our friends aren’t here?”

“I love our friends, but all I need, all I’ve ever needed, is you. Just you, Keith.” Shiro brings Keith’s hand to his mouth and brushes his lips over his knuckles, feeling his heart melt at the way Keith’s face softens into something tender and loving. “I want to be married to you, and I want it now. Not tomorrow, or in a year from now.”

“You’re a sappy romantic,” Keith chides him, but he’s laughing, and Shiro is grinning, his heart pounding so fast he thinks it will explode.

“You wouldn’t have me any other way.”

Keith hums consideringly. “Probably not. But you’ll never change, so I’ll never know.”

“Gentlemen, if you’re ready?”

They turn as one when the assistant speaks, gesturing at them to follow him into the chapel’s sanctuary. It’s small and spartan, but it suits their needs just fine. There are cobalt and silver silk flowers in tasteful arrangements at strategic points in the room, and a “congratulations!” banner over the back table, which has a small selection of cookies and a bowl of punch on it. Both the cookie tray and the punch bowl are considerably less than half full; Shiro suspects they were put out that morning and haven’t been changed since. He makes a mental note to bypass the celebratory refreshments.

He feels a sense of peace and calm settle over him, slowing his racing heart to a steady thump as he steps up to the altar and faces Keith. He hears the instructions, and subsequently the traditional invocation, as though from a long distance underwater. When it comes time to say their vows, Shiro comes out of his languid daze into a state of sharp relief. Everything feels brighter, clearer, and his whole world shrinks to encompass the space Keith stands in across from him, his eyes fever-bright and shimmering like the stars they’ve both chased for years.

The only thing they’ve chased harder is each other. The only thing that burns brighter is their love. He thinks if someone asked him in this moment, he would tell them the stars are nothing more than the flickering flame of a candle for all that they’re dwarfed by the immensity of Shiro’s feelings.

“Do you, Shiro, take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, for as long as you both shall live?”

Shiro’s voice comes out rich, deep, and yet still tremulous. “I do.”

Keith’s eyes are even more luminous, and Shiro realizes with a start that they’re swimming with tears. His stalwart, steady as a rock, almost-husband is on the verge of crying.

“Do you, Keith, take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, for as long as you both shall live?”

The tears spill over, and Shiro is going to lose it, he can’t handle watching Keith cry. 

There’s no waver in his voice when Keith declares, “I do.”

“Then by the power vested in me by the state of Arizona, I now pronounce you husbands. You may seal your union with a kiss.”

Keith slots into his arms like he’s never been meant to fit anywhere else, and he tips his chin to accept the reverent kiss Shiro presses to his mouth. Shiro can taste the saltiness of the tears that slipped past the corners of his lips. He kisses them away, deepening the kiss as Keith twines his arms around Shiro’s neck and Shiro hauls Keith up against his chest, clutching him as though someone might dare try to part them.

He tries to draw back but Keith chases after him, kissing him again, over and over, and they’re both laughing against each other’s lips, and Shiro’s crying too, and his heart is going to burst from the sheer perfection of getting to hold his husband, the love of both lifetimes, in his arms. 

“That’s the last time we’re going to get to do that,” Keith says as he finally pulls away.

“What do you mean?”

“That’s the last time we’ll ever kiss for the first time. In this case, as husbands.” Keith gives him a crooked smile and leans up to kiss him again. Shiro lets him, then kisses him again when Keith is done kissing him. 

“Just think of it as the first in a series of lasts,” Shiro says with a laugh, and Keith kisses him again, biting at his lower lip playfully. 

Shiro glances at the clock on the wall, a little surprised that the ceremony took so long. Something clicks in his brain and he laughs again, turning back to Keith with an impish grin.

Keith stares at him, wary now. “What?”

“It’s after midnight. Which means it’s officially February fourteenth. Our anniversary is on Valentine’s Day,” Shiro declares, with no small amount of glee.

Eyes round, Keith shakes his head. “No way. We started the ceremony on the thirteenth. That’s our anniversary.”

“We said ‘I do,’ kissed, and will sign our marriage certificate on the fourteenth,” Shiro argues, but it’s good-natured and teasing. 

“Doesn’t count,” Keith protests, but he’s sighing in resignation, because clearly he knows he’s on the losing side of this argument.

Shiro kisses him again, because he can, and because they’re  _ married _ now. “Every anniversary present will be heart-themed.”

“I can get an annulment,” Keith reminds him, eyes narrowing, and Shiro strokes his hair back from his face, thumb brushing lovingly along Keith’s cheekbone.

“You won’t.”

Keith makes a face. “Of course I won’t. I just figured one threat deserved another.”

“That, my dear husband, wasn’t a threat. It was a promise.” Shiro’s eyes are full of stars, he knows, but he can’t imagine being able to look at Keith any other way. “Now come on, let’s get out of here and to the honeymoon.” 

Keith glances over at the table with the cookies and punch. “No refreshments?”

Shiro snorts. “I’d like to survive past my wedding night, thank you very much.”

Keith reaches up to kiss him again--Shiro has a feeling that’s going to be a common occurrence for at least a few days--and whispers against his lips, “Don’t hold your breath on that, Shiro. Your soul just might leave Earth again after I get through with you tonight.”

One silver eyebrow lifts in amusement. “Is that a threat?”

Grinning, Keith winds his arms around Shiro’s neck again. “That, my dear husband, wasn’t a threat. It was a promise.”

Shiro’s blood heats and he wants nothing more than to let Keith make good on it. First, though, they have an administrative issue to attend to.

The officiant and her assistant had disappeared to give them a few moments of privacy, but once they step apart, they reappear with the marriage certificate and a few mementos. She presents it to Keith to sign first, and he gives Shiro a considering look before signing it. 

Shiro takes it next, and smiles so wide he fears his face will split. With a flourish, he signs in the space next to Keith’s.

Takashi Kogane-Shirogane.

Nothing has ever felt so right.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/cobrilee) now more these days than Tumblr, if you want to come say hi!
> 
> Also, yes, the cake and cinnamon cream is an actual recipe, and it. is. delicious.


End file.
